2012 is almost over and with that we fired up our google analytics account to see which stories had the most views during the year. With that said, look for posts daily counting down our top ten stories of 2012.

#1: Mariano's Construction Commences
Our number one story of the year based on traffic to Sloopin was about Mariano's, the highly popular grocery chain that is coming to the empty lot on Clark between 16th and 17th.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

2012 is almost over and with that we fired up our google analytics account to see which stories had the most views during the year. With that said, look for posts daily counting down our top ten stories of 2012.

Old Picture of Roosevelt Collection

#2: Roosevelt Collection and its RetailLike 2011, retail was a big story for the Sloop this year and it wouldn't be complete if Roosevelt Collection wasn't mentioned. We've done our fair share of coverage on this topic, and won't bore you with all of the post, but needless to say, there was some big news coming out of Roosevelt Collection in 2012.

Construction on the property will begin immediately so that we can stay on track to host a Grand Opening before November 1st of this year. In addition to having construction complete by that time, we plan to have 75% of our retail stores leased and opening as well. Our team is working diligently to secure retailers so that we will have more exciting announcements to come.

A bold statement, but something that made us and others excited. As construction moved forward, rumors began to emerge and we were getting a lot of tips from a variety of people.

Than the mother of all rumors came out. An Apple Store was coming to Roosevelt Collection! Brigid Sweeney, a blogger at Crain's, even had a post stating that Alderman Fioretti had confirmed this. McCaffery and Fioretti quickly backed down from this statement though.

A solid list indeed and definitely provides reason to be excited. However, there wasn't an Apple store and Yard House was missing as well. The McCaffery team went on to state that they will also hope to have some additional announcements in the spring. The other thing to note is that these stores won't open until the Autumn 2013...

Friday, December 28, 2012

2012 is almost over and with that we fired up our google analytics account to see which stories had the most views during the year. With that said, look for posts daily counting down our top ten stories of 2012.#3: Parking Confusion

This probably isn't news to you, but parking in the city can be a pain. With that said, it's no surprise that Parking was another hot topic in the Sloop this year.

The Chicago City Council heard Fioretti's plan in February, approved the changes in March, and the new zones went into effect April 18, about the same time the City Clerk's office began selling 2012-2013 city stickers.

For an extra $25, residents can have the number of their residential parking zone printed directly on the sticker.

The trouble began when some South Loop residents purchased their city stickers early, then placed them on their windshields. Because the street signs in the South Loop have not yet been changed to reflect the new residential zone numbers, the zone numbers on the city stickers are different from the numbers on the street signs.

The result is that some residents have received tickets for parking in the wrong residential zone, even though they were appropriately parked.

Ugh! Man was this a pain and man was it frustrating. Anyway, the Tribune article goes on to give some more background and what to do if you got a ticket.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

2012 is almost over and with that we fired up our google analytics account to see which stories had the most views during the year. With that said, look for posts daily counting down our top ten stories of 2012.

#4: Karamela Cafe
There appears to be a theme with all of the restaurants that opened in 2012. We hear about them in 2011. We hear rumors about them in early 2012. We hear about an expected opening date in spring. That doesn't happen. We hear more rumors. We see some action. And then they finally open.

Sure enough, on October 9th they Karamela Cafe was open! Intrigued by the new option we ventured in for a dinner and were pleasantly surprised. The best thing about it was the quality of the food and the unique offerings they brought to the neighborhood. In our opinion it was refreshing to have new options that weren't available in the Sloop.

While Karamela Cafe is occasionally busy, it seems like it could use some more support. With that said, check it out if you haven't...you will be surprised!

So we wonder, what gives? Is this going to be a retail and/or newsstand spot? Maybe a way to give people coffee, flowers, magazines, candy, etc without having to go inside? Or maybe it will serve as a spot for CTA employees to work/sell tickets during crowded times (like Bears games).

2012 is almost over and with that we fired up our google analytics account to see which stories had the most views during the year. With that said, look for posts daily counting down our top ten stories of 2012.#5: Five Guys Comes to the Sloop
Well apparently people love Five Guys hamburgers.

Monday, December 24, 2012

2012 is almost over and with that we fired up our google analytics account to see which stories had the most views during the year. With that said, look for posts daily counting down our top ten stories of 2012.#6: City Tavern Comes to Old Grace O'Malley's Space
It was a big year for new restaurants in the Sloop and City Tavern was one of the shinning stars.

Like time, the history trend marches on. Mainstay Hospitality, the company that owns Chicago Firehouse and Wabash Tap, plans to open the “18th-century tavernesque” City Tavern (1416 S. Michigan Ave.; no phone yet) in early May in the space formerly occupied by Grace O’Malley’s. Kendal Duque, the chef at Chicago Firehouse and the opening chef at Sepia, will create the menu.

While the opening date dragged on a little bit, the doors finally opened in June. While there were a couple minor issues (it was pretty damn loud inside the space), the restaurant was widely praised. We had an amazing Salmon entree that still has us drooling.

But then something strange happened. Kendall Duque, the long time chef at Chicago Firehouse and the brains behind City Tavern, was no longer at the helm. It was all pretty sudden and surprising. However, Duque was replaced by Jackie Shen (previously of Red Light, Chicago Cut), a well respected chef in Chicago.As far as we can tell City Tavern hasn't missed a beat. The place tends to be packed on the weekends and things appear to be well. It probably doesn't hurt that they also won a prestigious Michellin Bib Gourmand rating in November. All in all a solid addition to the Sloop! Now if we can just figure out what's going on next door!

Sunday, December 23, 2012

2012 is almost over and with that we fired up our google analytics account to see which stories had the most views during the year. With that said, look for posts daily counting down our top ten stories of 2012.#7: Confused by Soldier Field Event Parking Signs
What can we say, parking in the Sloop can be confusing. When there is an event at Soldier Field, well people often get screwed. A concerned resident penned a detailed email to us and asked others if they've had similar issues. Here is the start of their email:

I wanted to write you about a situation I am currently in the middle of involving parking in the South Loop during the Soldier Field events. From the information I have gathered, there have been many victims of this same misunderstanding.

There was some solid comments and suggestions in the comment section of the post. It's a good read for those who often feel confused or have been burned by this in the past.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

2012 is almost over and with that we fired up our google analytics account to see which stories had the most views during the year. With that said, we will be counting down our top ten stories of 2012 starting today.

Last we heard (in early December), the developer has scrapped the residential portion of the plan and is now focusing on the retail component only. The rendering at the top is the latest plans and according to the developer their shooting for an opening of Spring 2014.

Friday, December 21, 2012

2012 is almost over and with that we fired up our google analytics account to see which stories had the most views during the year. With that said, we will be counting down our top ten stories of 2012 starting today.

#9: Sprout Playroom Is Now Called Sod Room and Working on Opening Soon

But don't fret. Last we heard was that they changed their name to Sod Room based on a message board thread in October. This appears to be true and their is even a Facebook page devoted to Sod Room. We snagged the picture above from this page and also found out that they're going through their final round of inspections (according to a facebook interaction in mid-November).

Looks good and hopefully it will be included in our 2013 business counter!

Thursday, December 20, 2012

2012 is almost over and with that we fired up our google analytics account to see which stories had the most views during the year. With that said, look for posts daily counting down our top ten stories of 2012.#10: The Drama that was Alain's
Where to begin...

We then read an article in the Tribune stating that they were shooting for a January 2012 opening. Not surprisingly that didn't happen. We heard a lot of rumblings that the concept was dead, but then in April a simple sign reading "Alain's" appeared on the door and naturally things seemed back on track.

There's not much to say to improve upon sledding as activity, but if you don't know where to look in this town you'll rarely see it performed. There are a number of satisfactory elevations dispersed throughout Chicago's neighborhood parks— mostly man-made amenities and registering as little more than mole hills beyond the Prairie. But we make the most of it. Favorites include the Soldier Field (North Burnham Park) hill, a feature of whimsical landscape design.

Enjoy the snow (assuming Tom Skilling is right)...before it becomes nasty city slush!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Chicago Journal, our local weekly newspaper and website focused mainly on the South Loop and West Loop, is closing up shop. And for that we are sad. Their articles and content were a weekly fixture that we came to love and rely on (especially since it came out midweek -- and helped push us over the "hump" and monotony of the work week). They're having a party this evening at Donna's Cafe (1255 S. State) from 7-9pm.

On a personal level, before we moved to the South Loop, we relied on the Chicago Journal to help us gather information and get a better understanding of the neighborhood. For that we're forever indebted.

Here at Sloopin this news is complicated. Sloopin was mainly dreamt up as a blog focusing on everything and anything to do with the South Loop. At it's inception we weren't sure what it would grow into or what it would ultimately be, but we wanted it to be a resource for the neighborhood -- for good and bad.

The idea mainly came because we wanted more information -- on a more timely basis -- and more consistently. While the Chicago Journal was the best resource for the neighborhood (in our opinion), it was still lacking in those key areas. Couple that with the power and relative ease of digital technology and Sloopin was born on September 22nd, 2008.

At the start of Sloopin, traffic was pretty much nonexistent and it felt more like an experiment. But we enjoyed the process, we enjoyed the neighborhood and kept pushing on. Slowly but surely we gathered steam and Sloopin began to grow. While we relied on a variety of content sources ranging from our own stories, to reader emails/comments, to other publishers (including Chicago Tribune, Crain's, Sun-Times and yes the Chicago Journal) producing Sloopin was hard work.

While we're not sure if our growth or presence caused the Chicago Journal to realize that they needed to evolve their digital presence, they did. The major change was the addition of bloggers. Micah Maidenberg's Near Loop Wire launched on May 5th, 2009 along with neighborhood stalwart Bonnie McGrath's blog, South Loop Observer. There was also a short lived Sidewalk Observer blog by Blagica Bottigleiro which launch on May 2nd, 2010. All three blogs added additional voices and information to the neighborhood, which seemed like a good thing to us (we even shared some links back and forth).

How to operate a news organization in the new digital reality is a perplexing question. There are many varying opinions on the best way forward. The reality is that the nut hasn't been cracked yet. It will slowly play out and hopefully take us to a better place.

Here at Sloopin we're an extremely lean operation. We don't have enough revenue to make this a full time job for anyone. We simply produce Sloopin because we love the South Loop. We don't have the bells and whistles of a typical news organization and frankly we don't have a traditional journalistic background. Hopefully you forgive us for our spelling errors, grammatical errors and whatever else we do wrong. We've received a mix of praise, ambivalence and hate -- honestly we love it all!

But back to the main topic of this post. The Chicago Journal is closing and with that our neighborhood will no doubt be missing something. They did a solid job covering topics pertaining to our neighborhood and for that we applaud the entire team. Thanks for all your hard work and for all you did to make the Sloop a better place!

Finally, with all of this said we're curious to hear your thoughts. How do you like Sloopin? How can we fill the gap left by Chicago Journal? What do we do well and where can we improve? Any new ideas or improvements you would suggest?

As always, we will do our best to evolve Sloopin. Thanks for all your support, comments, pictures and stories. Without you it wouldn't be possible!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Crescent Heights, a Miami based developer, continues to buy up space in the Sloop. This time, they've made another big splash buying some of the most valuable land in the neighborhood (and maybe the city) at the Southeast corner of Roosevelt and Michigan (via Chicagorealestatedaily.com):

A venture of Crescent Heights earlier this month bought a two-acre site at the southeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Roosevelt Road, as well as a one-acre property close to 13th Street and Indiana Avenue, according to a statement from the company.

Right now, these empty lots are an eye sore. But anyone can see the potential value. The views from a building on this land would be absolutely breathtaking.

Old renderings for towers at Roosevelt and Michigan/Indiana

From an outsiders standpoint, this seems like a good business decision for Crescent as well. Besides buying unsold units in Astoria Tower (8 East 9th Street), they also bought 1212 S. Michigan. 1212 sits across the street from this new land they just acquired. So one can assume, any new building would try to protect sight lines. Or at a minimum, if they're going to block their own building at least they're the ones who will be benefiting from the new development.

As you may recall, at one point there were some pretty sexy renderings floating around (picture to the right). We can only assume those are dead, but according to the article:

The firm could build up to 1,200 residential units, 1,500 hotel rooms or 325,000 square feet of office or retail space on the parcel, in a building as tall as 70 stories.

We will keep an eye out for future plans. The least they could do is maybe clean the empty lot up a little.

Finally, what's the deal with them buying an acre near 13th and Indiana? Is that the land that housed the sales office for One Museum Park?

In other male hair news, Sports Clips is looking for a manager and stylists according to Craigslist. Sports Clips is supposed to be going in just down the street at 10 E. Harrison. We heard about this spot back in August and honestly haven't seen any progress or signage. However, the craigslist posting makes it seem like it's still coming.

So there you have it men. Two new places for your to get your hair cut. It's a pretty simple proposition. If you like music you go to Floyd's. If you like sports you go to Sports Clips.

What's next? A barber shop with a video game theme? Sounds like the next great business idea!

LegalName

DoingBusiness As

Address

LicenseApplied for

Date ofPayment

Jadamo Corp.

Kurah

1355 S Michigan Ave , Floor:1

Consumption on Premises - Incidental Activity

12/05/2012

So there you have it, something new appears to be coming to the Northeast corner of 14th and Michigan. If it is indeed some Mediterranean we will be happy. Diverse options are what our neighborhood needs and falafel sounds really good right now!

Does anyone have additional information or thoughts on a Mediterranean place coming to this corner?

Developer Dan McCaffery has asked the city to approve a plan to build a new South Loop campus for the British School of Chicago, even without the buy-in of the neighborhood's alderman.

The developer and school, which has outgrown its Lincoln Park campus, are seeking a zoning change for a nearly 80,000-square-foot building, including an auditorium and gymnasium, within the Roosevelt Collection, a mixed-use project at Roosevelt Road and Wells Street. But Ald. Robert Fioretti (2nd) said they have not sought enough community input to gain his blessing.

“They filed at their own peril, because they haven't done any of the things they've been asked to do the past several months,” Mr. Fioretti said. “They have to go out to the community instead of shoving this down the community's throat.”

First of all, the second paragraph in this blurb is a little misleading (we think). While it says, "within Roosevelt Collection" we assume they mean it will be built just North of Roosevelt Collection and not within the vacant retail space. We're assuming this.

Second, the point of debate is about the park. It sounds like instead of having a park at street level, there may be a public park on the roof?!?!?

One of the biggest sticking points could be a 42,830-square-foot park on the building's roof. Mr. Fioretti said the original Roosevelt Collection plan called for the school space to be a park. He is unsure the community will support green space atop a roof instead.

“I may be in favor of the school, but you've got to go out to the community, and they haven't done that,” Mr. Fioretti said. “Our green space downtown is very limited. The people in that area approved the (original planned development) because there was going to be a park. They have to convince the park district and the community that it's OK to put a park on top of a school.

“I want to know what kind of access there will be, and how community use will be regulated.”

Sounds strange, but potentially interesting. I guess we need more information before we can form an opinion. Hopefully that information comes out soon.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Bikers rejoice -- there is a new way to navigate the busy streets of the Loop! The bike lane on Dearborn from Polk to Kinzie opens today according to a solid article in the Tribune:

Chicago's campaign to broker an orderly coexistence, if not complete harmony, among motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians will begin to face its biggest test so far Friday.

That's when two-way protected bike lanes — outfitted with traffic signals for bike riders to obey — will open in the heart of the central business district, on Dearborn Street between Kinzie and Polk streets, the Chicago Department of Transportation said.

The $450,000 project covering about 12 blocks is a high-profile component of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's plan to make Chicago one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world and to socially re-engineer how city dwellers choose to commute to work or just get around in a heavily congested urban area.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

If you're looking for something fun to do this Friday (12/14), NEXT STAR VODKA will be hosting a tasting event in the new party room at Jimmy Green's (825 S. State) from 7 to 9pm. The event will feature NEXT STAR drinks for your tasting pleasure:

Next Star Martini

Chicago Mule (Next Star Vodka, Ginger Beer and Lime)

Next Star Blue (Next Star Vodka with a dash of blueberry jam and lime)

This is a private event with limited space, so the only way to attend is if you rsvp at jimmygreensrsvp@nextstarvodka.com and receive a return email confirming that you're on the list (since we're expecting to be at capacity).

We received a couple emails from readers about a potential new bar coming to 16th street:

Hi,

I got a public notice from the City Dept. of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, Local Liquor Control Commission, that an applicant, "Bureau Bar LLC," located at 75 E. 16th St. appplied for a liquor license on 12/5/12. This is the old Three Peas Art Lounge space. Do you have any other info on this?

While we love dogs and it looks like a nice park, we were surprised to see these designs. While it's hard to see, between the small dog area (just under the "b" line slightly left of center) and the large dog area (stretching from the bottom left corner top right corner) it seems like over 75% of this park is dedicated to dogs. Maybe Fred Anderson was more a dog lover than a Jazz lover?

Forgive us if we are out of the loop on this, but wasn't part of this park supposed to be dedicated to a patio for Acadia? We heard that it was supposed to be split 1/3 for dogs, 1/3 for jazz and 1/3 for patio for Acadia.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Most true Sloopers know that our fair neighborhood has a gangster past. And if you didn't, this sweet map from myalcaponemuseum.com will fill you in.

We can't post an image due to copyright issues, but we highly suggest you check it out.

Not only does this link include two detailed maps of our neighborhood (also called the levee district circa 1895-1923), it has a unique designation for Cermak (aka 22nd street)..."The Street of Whores."

If this Motor Row re-branding doesn't take off, maybe the city could revert to this name...kinda catchy!

You are invited to join the up and coming young Jewish crowd of the South Loop for an awesome Chanukah party -- "Maccabees and Microbreweries". The event begins at 8:30pm this Thursday, December 13 at Square One (located at 14th and Michigan Ave).

Monday, December 10, 2012

Anyway, as many of you know the 2012 Curbed Cup is just getting underway. The Uptown neighborhood has won the last two years. In 2010 the South Loop finished second. This year Uptown was not included in the bracket. What does that mean? It's time to bring the cup home to the South Loop!

We garnered the cherished number one seed this year and our first round opponent is our "rival" and "alter ego" the West Loop. Anyway, head to this link and vote for whatever neighborhood you would like (we would suggest the Sloop).

Finally, this match-up seems like a perfect segue to a recent message board post where a poster named Naya asked a similar question about where to move -- the South Loop or the West Loop?

It's been a solid year in the Sloop with numerous new businesses opening. One of the newest is Equilibrium Health + Wellness at 1509 South State Street. They just opened in November of this year and are eager to be your local holistic health resource. We're excited to have them in the neighborhood!

We recently sent them some questions about their offerings as well as some specific South Loop questions:

What is Equilibrium Health + Wellness?

Equilibrium Health + Wellness is a holistic health, wellness clinic. They are dedicated to not only bring their patients back to a pain free state utilizing several different modalities, massage, chiropractic, and rehabilitative therapy, but most importantly, to help their patients maintain their symptom free state and regain normalcy in their bodily function.

Why did you decide to open up Equilibrium Health + Wellness in the South Loop?

Dr J Chan opened Equilibrium Health + Wellness, November 2012, in the South Loop neighborhood of Chicago. The vision behind the office design is to make her visitors feel very pleasant and relaxed and not feel intimidated or uncomfortable as one would when they enter a typical medical facility. Dr J's intention is not only to promote holistic health care, but also to raise awareness of the importance and the simplicity to lead a healthier lifestyle. Dr J is passionate about helping her patients through their entire recovery process and loves building a close relationship with each and every patient.

What is "alternative health care"?

Alternative health care is a form of healing the body back to its healthy state utilizing techniques and modalities that are non-invasive and natural. It differs from traditional medicine because no drugs are administered and no surgery is performed. Dr J recommends patients should consult an alternative health care practitioner before resulting to surgery or medication, or also to patients who have consulted multiple traditional practitioners but have found no relief in their recommendations.

Who benefits the most from this type of treatment?

The wonderful thing about chiropractic care is that it caters to patients of all ages, from newborns, to the elderly. Patients of all ages may suffer from some sort of neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction, or have some pain symptom they have been enduring because they have never found a proper remedy to rid the issue.

Why should people come to Equilibrium Health + Wellness instead of a different doctor?

Equilibrium differs from other offices because Dr J truly cares about the well-being of her patients. Unlike most doctors, she takes a great deal of time on their first visit to get to know the patient. This helps to build a relationship between her and her patient, because chiropractic care is a very intimate form of healing and treatment. The better the relationship, and more information is revealed, the more specific the treatment plan is designed for each patient.

Do you offer any specials?

We are currently offering a holiday special on our therapeutic massages. The original price is $80/hour, and our holiday special is $55/hour.

Do you accept insurance?

Yes, we do accept insurance. We also have cash plans for patients that do not have insurance.

What's your favorite thing about the South Loop?

The diversity. The community ranges from kids to retirees, Asian to Caucasian to African Americans.